An exploratory study for the psychological profile of a Civil Military Coordination Officer as a selection tool for training

• Main Author: Lloyd, Gary
• Other Authors: Van Dyk, G. A. J.
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch 2008
• Subjects: Civil Military Coordinator; Psychological profile; Peace missions; Competency model; Dissertations > Industrial psychology; Theses > Industrial psychology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/2450

Thesis (MComm (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. === The introduction of a multidimensional approach towards peace missions in complex emergencies emphasises the importance of coordination between the military and the humanitarian components at all levels of interaction. Cooperation and coordination between the military and humanitarian components are critical in achieving a common goal to alleviate suffering and save lives. The challenge is how to develop, enhance and sustain an effective working relationship to overcome the conflicting views on coordination from the military and humanitarian perspectives. Humanitarians fear the loss of independence and neutrality when associated with the military. The military tend to undermine humanitarians role and functions in becoming directly involved in humanitarian action. During selection, the military needs to identify members who firstly conform to the generic psychological peacekeeping profile and who secondly, portray the skills, knowledge and abilities to perform the coordination function between the military and the humanitarian component. The challenge remains to select competent military members in the absence of a psychological profile for the coordination function. Through this research, the psychological profile for a Civil Military Coordination Officer is defined. In the theoretical discussion, the importance of coordination is emphasised through analyses of the challenges, roles, functions and behaviours associated with Civil Military Coordination Officers in multidimensional peace missions. The theoretical foundation and primary data from field research are integrated in a competency model for Civil Military Coordination Officers. The results of this research are presented as a model of provisional selection criteria for Civil Military Coordination Officers.